Robbery leads to siege in home

Suspect robs bank, flees to Villa Park house, police say

August 26, 2005|By Angela Rozas, Tribune staff reporter.

A man suspected of robbing a bank in La Grange led police on a chase through several west suburbs Thursday afternoon, causing dozens of traffic jams as police raced to catch him, before he holed up in a house in Villa Park.

Late Thursday dozens of people stood at Villa and North Avenues watching as police from several agencies cordoned off the area and took positions around the home.

About 12:30 p.m., the man walked into the Harris Bank in the 1000 block of South La Grange Road armed with a long, riflelike gun, said La Grange Police Chief Michael Holub. The man, described as white, about 6 feet 2 inches tall with dark hair, fled in a white Cadillac sedan, the DuPage County sheriff's office spokeswoman said. It was unclear whether he took any money, officials say.

Nearby police officers quickly responded, and a chase began. The man shot at several La Grange officers as he fled, hitting several police vehicles and causing a minor injury to one officer who was struck by glass, Holub said.

The man then led police north on Interstate Highway 294 before abandoning the vehicle at Illinois Highway 83 and North Avenue in Elmhurst. Police pursued the man on foot as he fled through nearby woods and into a residential area on the border of Villa Park and Elmhurst.

There he forced his way into a home, from which the residents quickly escaped, sheriff's police said. By about 2:30 p.m., numerous police agencies and the sheriff's office had surrounded the house in the 1N600 block of Creekside Street in Villa Park, where the man was thought to be hiding.

Police evacuated about a dozen people from homes adjacent to the building. They had made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the man since a brief cell phone call about 5 p.m. Police said they believe they know the man's identity, but will wait for an arrest before making it public.

The chase and standoff caused major traffic problems for area drivers. The police buildup completely blocked traffic on North Avenue between Illinois 83 and Villa Avenue, as well as parts of Illinois 83, forcing an untold number of travelers into long lines of traffic throughout much of the day.

For a brief time, police also stopped trains running through Villa Park because of the chase. Residents near the cordoned-off home were evacuated, and others near the homes were told to stay inside, authorities said.